


Long Way To Happy

by Weasleymama



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Abuse, Choking, Death Threats, Drug Use, F/M, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Violence, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Underage Drinking, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2018-12-16 09:06:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11825502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weasleymama/pseuds/Weasleymama
Summary: Everything was so damn simpleNow I'm losing my headTrying to cover up the damageAnd pad out all the bruisesDo you know I had itSo it didn't hurt to lose itDidn't hurt to lose itNo but ohI'll keep on rolling down this roadBut I've got a bad, bad feelingIt's gonna take a long time to loveIt's gonna take a lot to hold onIt's gonna be a long way to happy-Pink





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> This author replies to all comments!

> “So, here’s what I’m thinking.” Kyle Master’s began with a smooth confidence while putting an arm around Maya’s shoulder. Her brow crinkled in an amused confusion while Riley looked on shocked. “You and me. A night you’ll never forget. I’ll pick you up at 7.” He spoke in a smooth tone, flashing her a good looking grin.
> 
> Maya couldn’t help herself as she burst into laughter and ducked out from under his arm. “Good one.” She said, patting his arm and reaching for Riley. Linking her arm with her best friend, the laughter continued as she walked away from Kyle before noticing his dark eyes narrowing. 
> 
> “What was that?” Riley asked, glancing back but no seeing the guy any longer.
> 
> “Kyle…something, he’s on the football team.”
> 
> “He is? But aren’t all the guys friends? Doesn’t he know you’re with Lucas?” Worry crossed her innocent face.
> 
> “It’s got to be some joke on Huckleberry.” Maya explained as they walked into class. “You heard him, he was so over the top, there’s no way he was serious.” Maya chuckled as she slid into her seat. “Remind me to tell Lucas about it later.” She was sure he would laugh – but by the end of the day the ‘joke’ was forgotten.
> 
> Had Lucas been told about his team mate hitting on his girlfriend he’d have spoken to Kyle, but instead he was wrapped up with Maya in the Hole as the school emptied. They kissed deeply until their lips felt swollen. The place that had once been a memory of embarrassment had become the place Maya and Lucas would slip away to be alone. 
> 
> Kyle spent the rest of the day fuming over his encounter with Maya – anytime he’d seen her in the halls he was reminded once more of the embarrassment she’d put him through and it made him furious. He’d never been turned down before – and had definitely never been laughed at. Seeing Maya and Lucas in the Hole after school made the rage grow like a ball of fire in his gut. He turned around, walking back the way he’d come – and punched a locker on the way.
> 
> The bang from the punch startled Lucas and Maya out of their heavy make-out session. Their eyes darted around as they walked up the steps, but no one seemed to be around. Maya’s eyes drifted up to the clock. “Shit! You’re late!” 
> 
> “Damn! I’m going to be running laps until I die!” He exclaimed, moving to pop a kiss to her lips quickly. “I’ll call you tonight!” And with that he was gone. 
> 
> Maya smiled and shook her head a little as she watched Lucas run down the hall. She turned to walk in the opposite direction – not noticing the hand reach out from the doorway and taking hold of her. He took a fist-full of her hair and jerked her backwards. Her pained scream was quickly halted with a large hand clamping over her mouth. 
> 
> She kicked and clawed at the arms that held onto her, squirming to get free. Before she realized what was happening she was being pulled down steps. “You think you’re special?” he hissed. “Think you’re hot shit?” 
> 
> He shoved her hard and her head thumped against the floor. Despite the spinning she felt, Maya turned to glare at him. “What the fuck?!” Before she could stand, Kyle kicked her hard, knocking the wind out of her. She coughed as she held her middle – unable to protect herself as he lunged at her and pinned her to the floor. “Get off me, you psycho!” She screamed out, trying to push him away but he was too heavy to move. 
> 
> He clamped a hand over her mouth quickly – he was sure the school was empty but wasn’t taking any chances. He struggled with her, getting the yellow dress up around her waist. He let out a laugh so cold it made her freeze and he leaned in closer. His eyes locked on hers. “You brought this on yourself, you stupid whore.” He ignored her squirming as he took hold of her panties and tugged them down. “This is all anyone would ever want you for.”
> 
> Maya screamed against his hand as he forced himself into her unwilling body – the pain tearing through her unlike anything she’d ever felt before. The tears rolling down her face didn’t make Kyle hesitate as he pounded away at her angrily. “You thought you were better than me.” He growled. “But you’re nothing but a filthy slut.” He spoke with hate as he moved faster, giving her no reprieve. “You’re trash. Nothing. This is all you’d ever be good for.” 
> 
> The sound it made when he pulled out made Maya want to be sick. As soon as he let go of her, Maya moved into the corner and curled up tightly with her knees to her chest. She tried to keep herself from shaking as she avoided looking at him. She wanted to do anything she could to keep him coming at her again but was too scared to run.
> 
> He smirked down at her as he silently slipped her panties into his pocket and then leaned down. “If you tell anyone about this not only will I find you, I’ll find Little Miss Sunshine too and she’ll get it worse than you will” Maya’s eyes shot open instantly. Riley. “I’ll fuck that stupid smile off her face.” Kyle grinned wickedly at the fear in her blue eyes while pulling on his letterman jacket. “Who’s laughing now, bitch?” He asked, chuckling just for effect as he walked away from her.
> 
> It wasn’t until he was gone that Maya realized where she was. She shook and cried in the Hole not wanting to move until she was sure he was really gone. Only then did she pull herself up the stairs and slip into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror – other than smeared make-up and tears she looked the same and it felt wrong. How could she look the same after that? How could the word ‘raped’ not be written across her forehead as she felt it was? No one could see what happened – and Kyle Masters had done the one thing to promise no one would ever know. He threatened Riley.
> 
> Maya stepped inside her apartment, ready to put on a fake face and go hide in her room – but there was no one ti hide from. Just a note that her parents had gone out and would be back late. The silence seemed so loud. Part of her wanted nothing but to be held by her mother – but the logical side of her knew she needed to handle this on her own. The threat to her closest friend had made up her mind.
> 
> Her clothes went down the garbage chute and she took a scalding shower where she scrubbed until she was red and raw. She wanted every trace of him off her skin…wanted to forget it ever happened. She sat in the tub as the water poured down on her until it turned cold – sobbing alone where no one could hear her. 
> 
> She was home. This was where she was safe. But as darkness fell outside and she tried to sleep, the terror came to her all over again. When she’d finally fallen asleep it only lasted long enough for the nightmare to take over. Maya woke with a start – covered in sweat with her heart racing. She was tangled in the sheets and felt like she couldn’t breathe. 
> 
> It took her a moment to let her eyes focus and see she was actually in her room. Alone. She caught her breath and straightened her sheets before lying back down – she was too grown up for bad dreams to shake her so much.  
>  Unfortunately, as soon as she closed her eyes she would see another flash of Kyle. First his jacket – the last thing she’d seen as he walked away. Then his hands reaching for her. Then his teeth as he laughed. 
> 
> She sat up quickly, eyes open wide. She tried to shake it off, but as soon as her eyes closed she saw it all again…jacket, hands, teeth.
> 
> Maya wanted nothing but to be 5 years old again so she could crawl into her mother’s bed after a bad dream. She even went as far as to tip-toe down the hallway and push open the door to Katy’s room. But it wasn’t as it had been before. Katy slept soundly with her head on Shawn’s chest. Maya knew neither would stop her from coming in – but they’d want to know why and she couldn’t risk Riley’s safety. Instead, she slipped back into her own room and tried her hardest _not_ to fall back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

> She had no choice but to go back to school the next day. To stick close to Riley just to make sure she was safe. But Maya wasn’t the same. She was once a proud confident girl and now she was jumpy and felt nervous and sick all the time. Anytime she’d catch a glimpse of a letterman jacket out of the corner of her eye she would dart around to make sure it wasn’t Kyle sneaking up on her again. She would swing around quickly, sure to face him – but he was never there. A basketball player, baseball, soccer…they all wore the same jackets and it was turning Maya into a nervous wreck. Several times she found herself heaving over the toilet as her nerves shook her to the core.
> 
> When she did see Kyle, it only made things worse. He looked taller to Maya, bigger every day – or maybe she was just shrinking. He looked proud, looked strong and frightening as he walked with a grin that made Maya cringe. He looked at her as if he could see right through her baggy layers – and in his mind he likely could. The more he acted as if he’d done nothing wrong, the less confident Maya became. How could she walk tall when he could so easily break her down?
> 
> It was in the cafeteria that Kyle made eye contact with her. He stared at her across the crowded room until she looked at him. She nearly cringed at the wicked grin on his lips as he winked at her. Maya shivered despite the over-sized jacket of Shawn’s that she wore. She pulled the jacket tighter around her and looked down at her tray of food. Quickly she pushed it away, no longer hungry at all. When she mustered the courage, she looked up again – his eyes were still on her and she wanted to scream. He was still smiling at her. He sat there proudly in his stupid letterman jacket and smiled like he’d done nothing wrong.
> 
> With her eyes back down and arms wrapped around herself, she didn’t see Lucas arrive. She only saw the sleeve of his jacket reach out beside her and pull out the chair. Maya pushed back her chair quickly, nearly knocking over Zay as he followed Lucas. She stared up at them like a deer in headlights, eyes wide and body frozen. “Damn, Maya.” Zay called out, pulling off his jacket as he stepped around her chair. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
> 
> “You okay?” Lucas asked as he pulled out the chair beside hers and moved to sit – though perhaps a bit slower than he would have normally. He looked at her curiously, Maya wasn’t often one to startle easy.
> 
> “Fine.” She said with a slight huff. “Don’t sneak up on people.” She turned away from him as he looked to Zay who only shrugged – neither of them understanding her mood.
> 
> Across the room, Kyle watched her – she could feel his eyes on her as he stared her down. She’d avoided him most of the day if she could help it. She didn’t want him to look too closely at her now, to see everything that happened on her face. Kyle knew Lucas didn’t know…that she’d done as she was told so far and told no one. He grinned a little as he stood up with his tray, taking it to the kitchen window and then looking back across the sea of people. He took a detour to his table and moved past Maya’s table. He nudged Lucas as he moved past. “Gonna be late to practice again, Frair?” He asked with a chuckle.
> 
> Just the sound of his voice made Maya freeze in place. Her heart was racing and she gripped her jacket tighter around her to keep her hands from shaking. She looked up slowly at Kyle who glanced down at her. She was sure he was doing this on purpose. He didn’t care if Lucas was late…unless he had plans again. She felt like the room was closing in on her. Her chest hurt and her hands held the jacket so tight her knuckles were white. She felt like she was going deaf, unable to hear anything but the sound of Kyle laughing. _‘Who’s laughing now, bitch’_
> 
> She got up quickly, grabbing her bag and pushing past people to rush out of the cafeteria. She heard Lucas calling after her, but she didn’t stop. She almost knocked over a few other students, but she didn’t say a word, just rushed towards the bathroom. She locked herself in a stall, sitting on the edge of the toilet and rocking back and forth as she struggled to breathe. Tears spilled down her face but she didn’t realize they were there until they hit her hands wrapped around her chest.
> 
> Maya spent the rest of lunch hour in the bathroom, only coming out when she knew the bell would ring soon. She wanted Riley, she wanted to be close to pure goodness. But it wasn’t Riley standing outside the ladies room waiting for her to come out. Maya nearly rushed back inside when she caught sight of Kyle standing next to the door. But he threw an arm up blocking the door. “Feelin’ alright there?” He asked with an almost amused tone. He leaned down close to her and she closed her eyes tight, bracing herself for pain. “Don’t forget what I told you. Not a word.” She nodded as she trembled and he smiled. “Good girl. See now you’re learning.” He glanced down the empty hall before he reached up and brushed a finger down her cheek causing her to cringe and brace herself once more. “Till next time.” He told her before he walked away.
> 
> As soon as he moved, she was back in the bathroom. Shaking with tears rolling down her face, she began to scrub her face where he’d touched her, but it didn’t help her feel clean.
> 
> It was obvious to those close to her that something wasn’t right with Maya. Riley was the one she was sticking closest to – though that wasn’t an indication of anything really – it was how she seemed to cling to her. Am arm linked with Riley’s or head on her best friend’s shoulder, in some way or another if she could she was close to Riley. Finally the young brunette asked her softly. “Maya, are you feeling okay?”
> 
> Maya met her eyes – she hadn’t wanted people to see anything was wrong, but it was almost impossible to hide it as she thought she could. All she wanted was to be close to Riley, thinking somehow it would protect her – protect them both.
> 
> Maya just shrugged in reply. “I didn’t sleep well.” She told her as she leaned her back against the lockers. She watched the people move around, keeping an eye out for anyone moving too close to Riley.
> 
> After a hug between friends, they had to part ways to head to their last classes of the day. But just as it had been between all other classes, Maya was having trouble letting Riley out of her sight. Kyle’s words played in her mind, how he called Riley Little Miss Sunshine as he threatened her. Maya swallowed hard as she watched Riley walk down the hall – she was so focused on Riley, she didn’t notice the boy come up behind her. 
> 
> Lucas moved in close to his girlfriend, an arm immediately around her shoulder – but all Maya saw was the faux leather sleeve of the letterman jacket. She spun quickly as she shouted “don’t!” and shoved him back. Her eyes wide with fear and heart racing so hard she was sure someone would hear it. Of course, the entire hallway going silent at her shout didn’t help things.
> 
> Lucas stumbled back a bit and stared in shock at Maya as she glared with wild eyes. “Woah…I’m sorry.” He muttered, holding his hands up to her. 
> 
> Maya was breathing heavy as she looked around the halls. All eyes were on her and Lucas and she felt like they could all see her. No one spoke right away, just waiting for her to do something. Riley was the first to snap back and move in. “Maya?” She came up close to her best friend, almost shielding her from all the eyes. “What happened?”
> 
> Maya turned slowly; everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as she looked from Lucas to Riley. “I…” She shook her head. She didn’t know what to say as her best friends all looked to her in concern and the rest of the hallway looked at her as if she was crazy. “I gotta go.” She muttered and pulled her jacket tight around her as she walked with her head down to class.
> 
> When it became clear a couple-fight wasn’t going to break out the crowds began to break apart, but Riley stood still next to Lucas. “I just put my arm around her.” He mumbled as they both started after her until the bell rang.
> 
> Lucas couldn’t understand what he’d done wrong; it was the second time that day she’d jumped away from him. He hadn’t done anything to merit that, he was sure of that much. He hadn’t even lost his temper in months. They’d just been kissing the day before, and so much he was late for practice. But now, she didn’t seem to want him to touch her. So much so that she yelled at him. He replayed it all over in his mind, but nothing made any sense. 
> 
> He knew Maya could get closed off sometimes, and he didn’t want to push her to talk about something she didn’t seem to want to talk about. He let it go for the rest of the week, but when Friday rolled around and the girlfriend he once spent hours kissing, wasn’t letting him touch her, he had to know what was going on. 
> 
> Lucas took a deep breath as he approached her after school Friday. “Maya, can I walk you home?”
> 
> Maya looked up at him, those sensitive green eyes watching her. He wouldn’t hurt her. In fact, he’d probably try to kill anyone who did – if he knew about it. Logically she knew not to feel uneasy with him. But as she looked at him, she couldn’t stop her stomach from twisting. She glanced to Riley for a moment. If she said no they would want to know why she didn’t want to be with him. They would ask her what’s wrong. But of course she knew he was going to ask her anyway once they were alone. She forced a smile to her lips and nodded. “Yeah sure.” Despite feeling helpless once Riley walked off to catch up with Farkle and Smackle. 
> 
> Lucas walked a block in silence, looking down at how his hand swung next to her, but hers were shoved in her pockets. “You used to let me hold your hand.” He caught her off guard and she looked over at him surprised. 
> 
> “You hold my hand.” 
> 
> “Haven’t all week.” He told her. “You haven’t given me a hug, and we haven’t kissed since Tuesday.” He didn’t notice her face pale at his words, just needed to get them out. He feared she was going to end things with him, that she was pulling back to prepare them both for a breakup – something he didn’t want.
> 
> “So.” She replied, not meeting his eyes.
> 
> “So, is everything okay?”
> 
> “Why wouldn’t it be?” She asked as casually as she could manage, but he wasn’t buying it.
> 
> “Maya, I don’t know what I did, but I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you…and if you just tell me what I did, I can try to fix it.” He told her quickly. 
> 
> “You didn’t do anything.”
> 
> He stopped walking and looked at her then. “Then why are you acting scared of me and weird when I try to touch you?” His brow furrowed in confusion. “Seriously, Maya…what did I do?”
> 
> “Nothing. You didn’t do anything.” She sighed as she watched his face. As if he could scare her…but he did, didn’t he? Not on purpose, but because she was too easily startled now. Because she was terrified that the next guy to come up behind her would be Kyle again. But she couldn’t tell him that – she couldn’t tell anyone. “I just haven’t been feeling good this week. Woman problems.” She lied to his face without even blinking. Knowing the mention of menstruation would keep him from asking anything else.
> 
> “Oh!” His eyes went wide and his cheeks a little pink. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I just…I thought you were mad at me.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry you haven’t been feeling good.” He offered his hand to her then. “How about I buy you a smoothie – you can even dump it on my head if you want.” 
> 
> Maya couldn’t help but smile a little. How was he always so damn nice? “Who could resist that?” She teased lightly, as she took his hand. He wouldn’t hurt her. She knew that. He would protect her. 
> 
> But if that was true, why did she still feel awkward as she walked beside him with her fingers linked with his?


	3. Chapter 3

> Mr. Jackson came up behind Maya as she painted, cocking his head to the side and taking in the darkness of her work. “Looking nice, Maya.” He told her in a soft tone, but put it in the back of his mind to keep an eye on her. For two weeks her work had either been dark or felt like she was forcing out something she didn’t really mean. “Will you be coming back to see me this afternoon?” He asked with a smile. She’d not been to his room after school in two weeks.
> 
> “Not today.” She told him without meeting his eyes. He nodded and then lingered behind her as she slid the gray paint across the canvas.
> 
> Maya hadn’t spent any time after school since the afternoon she met Kyle. She was terrified to walk around alone but she put up a good front to her friends. More than for herself, she was scared to let Riley walk around alone. 
> 
> More often than not, she could feel Kyle’s eyes on her; she’d look up to catch him staring unabashedly with a grin that made her skin crawl. He kept a close look on her, waiting for her to be on her own. In those instances he would move close to her and whisper something to her. Sometimes a compliment, sometimes it was vulgar. But no matter what he said, she froze at the sound of his voice and used all her power to keep herself from shaking. 
> 
> Maya wanted to curse Mr. Jackson as he asked her to wait once the bell rang only to ask her if everything was okay. “Yes, I’m fine. Just been busy after school.” She told him, eying the door, wanting to get out of the room, get to Riley.
> 
> “You know you can talk to me if anything is going on, maybe at home?”
> 
> “Nothing is going on, Mr. Jackson.”
> 
> She moved quickly out of the classroom, trying to rush to catch up with Riley, but was stopped quickly by a large body standing in her path. She gasped as she halted to a quick stop. The red letterman jacket was the first thing that she focused her vision on, his smell was next. Focusing on Kyle’s face was last and she didn’t even need to see his eyes to know who stopped her.
> 
> She could feel herself begin to shake and wanted so much to stop it before he noticed the affect he had on her. He shifted some to back her against the lockers outside of art class and leaned in close. “Looking good today, Hart.” He began.
> 
> Maya turned her head away from him. “Please leave me alone.” She nearly whimpered.
> 
> He chuckled. “Why would I want to do that?” He reached up and used a finger to tuck back her hair. “I like you, I want to see more of you.” He looked her up and down. She cringed away from his touch and gripped her books tighter against her chest. “A lot more of you.” 
> 
> “Stop.” She muttered with little conviction in her voice. 
> 
> He wrapped her hair around his finger gently “Let me put it to you like this.” He began as he clenched his finger to get a tight grip on the section of hair. “If you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. If you act like a bitch, well, you know what happens then don’t you?” Maya closed her eyes tight, he wasn’t pulling hard on her hair, just enough to make an impact on her. “See you soon.” 
> 
> He let out a laugh that made her feel sick to her stomach and when she opened her eyes he was gone. She took in a deep breath and moved swiftly down the hall to get to her next class – a class with Riley beside her. As Maya smiled at Riley she convinced herself of one thing: At least if he was messing with her, he wasn’t anywhere near Riley. 
> 
> Farkle was already in his seat, Zay and Lucas came in next, making it in just before the bell with a laugh and a cheer between them for not being late. Lucas took his seat behind his girlfriend and leaned up towards her seat. He put a hand on her arm. “Missed you at break.”
> 
> Maya shrugged his hand off her. “Stop.” She muttered, keeping her eyes forward. She didn’t want his hands on her, didn’t want _any_ hands on her then. All she could see was Kyle leaning in so close to her. 
> 
> Lucas’s brow furrowed in confusion and he leaned back into his chair. He quickly scribbled a note to her and slid it up to her desk. **_What’s wrong? Are you pissed at me?_**
> 
> Maya opened it carefully so not to bring attention to it and sighed as she wrote back. **Nothing’s wrong. I’m tired.**
> 
> And while he read it and left it alone, he didn’t believe her. She’d been acting strange for a while now and all he could figure was she was trying to find a way to break things off with him. What other reason could she have for pulling away from him so much?
> 
> Lucas spent the rest of the class trying to figure out what he could have done wrong. By the end of class he had driven himself substantially crazy and knew he had to make her talk to him. It was all getting too weird. 
> 
> Outside of History class, Lucas stopped and waited for Maya to come out. He held out his arm as she came out. “Hey, can we talk?”
> 
> He’d meant to just get her attention; he’d meant to maybe put an arm around her shoulder. What he hadn’t meant was to scare her. Maya took one look at the arm clad in a letterman jacket reaching out to her and she halted hard and blocked Riley from coming out behind her. She took in a sharp audible gasp and seemed to cower if only for a second. 
> 
> “Lucas!” She snapped, eyes flaring slightly as her heard raced. “Don’t scare me like that!” She snapped as everyone looked at her as if she were crazy.
> 
> “I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to scare you.” He replied, hands up defensively. “Are you okay?” He asked her, concern in his green eyes. 
> 
> “Fine, just don’t do that.” Sensing the tension, the others seemed to drift away from the couple – and Maya attempted to go with them, but Lucas kept her attention.
> 
> “I really need to talk to you.” She begrudgingly agreed and started walking with him. “Listen, I feel like you’re mad at me, like I did something wrong and I don’t know what I did. Usually you just yell at me if I do something stupid, but you barely talk to me and I…” he swallowed hard and turned to her as she halted to a stop at the top of the stairs above the hole.
> 
> She hadn’t been down there since the day Kyle had pulled her down the steps and she wasn’t about to go back now. 
> 
> “What?” She asked abruptly, crossing her arms and keeping herself planted at the top of the steps. 
> 
> Lucas watched her as she refused to go down the steps, down to their place. It was where they used to go to be alone, used to kiss and be together. It hit him then that they hadn’t been down there in weeks. “Maya are you breaking up with me?” He asked softly, scared to hear the answer.
> 
> “What?” She asked again, brow furrowed slightly. “Why would you ask me that?”
> 
> “Because you aren’t acting like my girlfriend anymore. You freak out if I touch you, you won’t kiss me, you don’t even want to walk to the hole and we used to spend every afternoon down there. I can’t do anything right anymore and you always seem bothered with me. So…just tell me, are you breaking up with me?”
> 
> “No.” She replied softly, trying to take in all he’d said. “I just haven’t been feeling well lately, it’s not your fault or anything, I just want to be alone.”
> 
> “Alone? But not breaking up? What does that mean?”
> 
> “It means…sometimes I just want some space.”
> 
> “Maya…” He sighed. “You’d tell me if something were really wrong right? Or if you weren’t happy with how we were? Because whatever it is I can…”
> 
> “Huckleberry, stop. It’s not you. I swear, it’s not you.”
> 
> “Then what is it?”
> 
> “It’s nothing. Everything is fine.” She told him. “See.” She moved in, taking his face into her hands and pressing a kiss to his lips. “Lucas, I do not want to break up. I’ve just got a lot on my mind. I’m sorry if I’ve taking it out on you.”
> 
> “It’s okay.” He told her softly, just the slightest affection after two weeks without any was pulling him back in. “I just don’t want to lose you. I love you, you know that.”
> 
> “I do, and I love you too.” She let him pull her close and she pushed her arms under his jacket to wrap around him. She took in a deep breath against his neck and closed her eyes. His scent was calming, closing her eyes and remembering that he was there for her, he was strong and stable and would protect her. She needed him – even when sometimes she didn’t want anyone to touch her, she knew she needed Lucas in her life. 
> 
> Lucas nearly laughed when she pulled back just to shove his jacket off his shoulder and then move back in, resting her head against his t-shirt and neck. “Don’t like the jacket?” She muttered something he couldn’t make out as she shook her head against him. “Hang on” He said, pulling back from her. He pulled off the red letterman jacket and draped it over the railing and then pulled her close once more. “Better?” she answered with a nod and a light kiss to the side of the neck and Lucas just smiled.
> 
> Across the hall their friends watched from a distance, smiling and happy to see the two so close together again. “About time, I thought for sure she was gonna dump him.” The others all eyed Zay as he spoke his mind. “Like you all weren’t thinking it!” He huffed before they all parted ways.
> 
> * * *
> 
> _Maya felt around in the darkness as she walked slowly. Her eyes couldn’t adjust to the light because there wasn’t any. Not even a hint of light from beneath a door. She reached forward, fingers feeling for a wall as her feet shuffled._
> 
> _A laugh behind her had her spinning on her heels and trying harder to see. The laugh terrified her, she’d heard it before…it wasn’t a funny laugh, it was wicked._
> 
> _Maya’s heart raced as she heard the laugh behind her again – spinning once more but only facing darkness._
> 
> _The flashes of light came like tiny spotlights. First it hit something bright red, something in that red made Maya want to take a step back. The next flash showed her a wicked grin and a tongue licking the lips – but the rest of the face was in the dark._
> 
> _The smile seemed to move closer and the laugh that scared her came from that mouth. Maya turned away and began to run, arms outstretched in the blackness that didn’t seem to end._
> 
> _She couldn’t scream, she opened her mouth, but nothing came out._
> 
> _She came to a quick stop at the sight of red in her face but she wasn’t quick enough and she ran right into the red. It was soft but solid. Slowly the light grew and she could see the red grow into a letterman jacket…and as more light came she could see the person wearing it. Kyle stood before her with menace in his eyes._
> 
> _Maya couldn’t breathe, her chest felt tight as he moved in closer. She backed up as her eyes darted around, looking for some kind of escape._
> 
> _Kyle lunged at her, reaching out and grabbing her around the middle as he tackled her to the ground. She swung at him, trying to fight him off._
> 
> “Stop!” Maya screamed out as she shoved the heavy arm off her. Lucas sat up quickly, startled away by her tossing and screaming. 
> 
> “Maya. Maya stop.” He tried to calm her, reaching out but getting smacked by her flailing arms. Finally he wrapped his arms around her tightly. “It was just a bad dream, Maya, it’s over.” He told her as she came around slowly. She panted for breath as her eyes darted around the room. It was dark, but not pitch black like in her nightmare. The light from outside her window shone in giving the room a reddish glow. She turned to see Lucas’s kind eyes looking at her rather than the dark evil eyes she’d seen in her nightmares.
> 
> “A dream….” She breathed out, sitting up as she looked around. It was a long standing plan that whenever Shawn took Katy away for a weekend, Lucas would spend the weekend with Maya. He told his parents he was with Farkle and they’d never questioned it. 
> 
> Lucas sat up, watching her closely. “Yeah, just a bad dream.” He was startled to see tears rolling down her face. “It’s okay, it wasn’t real.” He told her softly reaching out to her – but she leaned away from him quickly. His brow furrowed as she shook beside him in the bed. He wanted to comfort her – wanted her to feel safe beside him…but she clearly didn’t in that moment. 
> 
> “Sorry.” She muttered at the expression on his face. “I just…I feel like I can’t breathe. I…it felt real.” She muttered. 
> 
> “I’ll go get you some water.” He offered, shifting to slide off the side of the bed – but stopped when she grabbed hold of his arm. 
> 
> “No!” She held onto his upper arm tightly, wide eyes looking fearful in a way that almost startled Lucas. He didn’t see her scared often – if ever. “Don’t go.”
> 
> “Okay, I’m not going anywhere.” he said softly, moving back in closer to her. “Can I?” He asked, opening his arms to her. She trembled some as she leaned into his large arms and let him hold onto her. “It’s okay now.” He told her softly as he rubbed her back. 
> 
> Maya wanted to believe him – she wanted him to be right – but she knew better. Nothing was okay. Kyle wasn’t going away, if anything he was creepier than he’d been the day he attacked her. He lingered around her, he acted possessive of her and gave her the impression he would only get more violent. 
> 
> Lucas’s arms wrapped snugly around Maya as they lay back down. She was quiet for so long that Lucas thought for a moment that she was asleep – it was only then that he was allowing himself to begin to drift off. It was her voice that snapped him back. “Lucas?”
> 
> “Hmm?”
> 
> “You know I love you, right?”
> 
> “Yeah, of course.” He replied just as softly, “And I love you.”
> 
> “Why do you love me?” Lucas turned to look at her as soon as she asked but she avoided his eyes, curling into ‘little spoon’ position. “You know I’m a screw up with a weird family and you could have anyone in the world.”
> 
> His brow furrowed, what was she talking about? “Maya, I don’t want anyone in the world. I want you, I’ve always wanted you. No matter what happens, it’s you and me.”
> 
> “Promise?”
> 
> “Swear on my life.” He told her, pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder. 


	4. Chapter 4

> The small blonde stood in the alley across from the apartment building. She wasn’t impressed at the neighborhood or the fancy doorman in uniform standing next to a perfectly clean door. If anything the pristine look to the place only made her hate him more. Of course he would have this kind of life, of course he would have all the privilege in the world. 
> 
> _Maya felt as if her heart stopped. Her eyed widened and her chest felt tight. She wanted to run, she wanted to scream…but she was frozen in place. She felt heavy and non-existent all at once. At the other end of the hall stood Kyle…next to Riley. The seconds felt like hours as she tried to move her feet but she could only feel her heart racing._
> 
> _He looked past Riley, catching Maya’s eyes. He could see the fear in her eyes and it only made him feel stronger. He turned back to Riley, offering a smile. “Thanks for the heads up. You know you smile like sunshine.” He said, her smile only growing at his compliment. “I’ll catch you later.”_
> 
> _People moved around Maya, one even bumping into her as she stood frozen in the hallway. Her breathing was rapid and her hands had begun to shake as he began walking towards her. He glanced around to be sure none of her other friends were around before leaning in close to her. “I want to see you again. Tonight.”_
> 
> _“Leave me alone.” She whispered – barely able to find her voice. “Please.”_
> 
> _He made a point to look back to Riley. “She’s awfully pretty. Is she a virgin?” He asked, his eyes settling back on Maya who looked furious and terrified all at once. “Of course she is. Does she know you’re not?”_
> 
> _“Stay away from her.” Maya replied, her voice low and gravelly as she glared at him._
> 
> _He clicked his tongue at her at he shook his head. “Tch, be nice.” He gave her a wink. “Tonight, my place.” He pushed his address into her hand before he walked away. Maya clenched the paper tightly in her hand as she watched him walk away from her with his head held high._
> 
> She’d spent the rest of the day thinking about what he’d said. He would go after Riley, he would do anything he wanted and she knew it. It was the only reason she was standing in front of his building. She had to protect Riley…it was the only thing Maya was sure she could still accomplish. 
> 
> She reached into her bag, lifting out the bottle of whiskey and tipping it back. A little bit of liquid courage courtesy of the top shelf in her kitchen. The amber liquid burned her throat as it went down, but the need for its effects outweighed the pain it caused. She needed the liquor, without it she’d never be able to cross the street and enter that building.
> 
> It was clean and white inside, but she felt like she was walking through the gates of hell. He’d told the front desk she was coming – he knew she’d do what he said and it only made it harder to step into the elevator. How could she do this? How could she not?
> 
> As the gold elevator doors closed Maya took another gulp from the bottle to keep the tears out of her eyes as the numbers lit up. 19, 20, 21…at 28, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Maya swallowed hard as she stepped into the hallway. 
> 
> He knew she was on her way up, he opened the door to his apartment before she could even muster the courage to knock. He stood in nothing but boxers, proud of himself and his body. He was a good looking guy, but to Maya he looked like the devil. She froze in place, staring up at him with wide eyes. She silently cursed herself, silently begging herself to move to do what she came here to do. With her hand still deep in her bag, her fingers brushed against the blade of the knife.
> 
> He smiled at her and stepped aside to allow her to walk into his home. She didn’t know why her feet moved then, why she stepped forward and moved inside the apartment. She wanted to stop, wanted to pull out the knife and slam it into his chest. She wanted to break him like he’d broken her.
> 
> The sound of the door closing behind her, of the lock clicking forced her to spin around. She shouldn’t be here, she shouldn’t have done this. But…he would go after Riley. He wasn’t bluffing, he didn’t need to; he was too powerful. Maya spun around to see him standing with his back to the door and her fingers wrapped around the handle of the kitchen knife.
> 
> She pulled the knife from her bag, gripping it till her knuckles went white. Her hand shook as she held it out between them. “No.” She told him. “No more. You stay away from me, and you never ever come near Riley.” Her voice wavered slightly, but she glared at him to try and show she wasn’t as weak as he made her feel. “I will…” She took in a deep breath. “I will kill you.”
> 
> She wanted him to open the door and let her leave, agree to never come near her again. But he just laughed. “Do it then.” He scoffed, and she didn’t move so he stepped closer to her. “You think you can kill me? Think you’re man enough? Well do it then.” He replied simply, moving so close all she’d have to do was swing her arm to slice his chest. But the only movement her hand made was to shake slightly.
> 
> Kyle gave her ten seconds before he swiftly grabbed her wrist and pulled her hard. Maya stumbled towards him, letting out a yelp as he jerked her around and held her back against his chest. He twisted her wrist until the knife fell to the floor. “See, I could have been nice to you today. I could have treated you well, but you came here to hurt me.”
> 
> “No!” She screamed out, struggling against him. “Stop! Help me!” He struggled with her for a moment before he shoved her into the wall. He glanced down at his arm, she’d managed to give him a small scratch, nothing that would need any attention – but it angered him all the same.
> 
> “You stupid bitch!” He snapped as he pulled her forward and shoved her into the wall again forcing her to cry out in pain. “You really thought _you_ could hurt _me_?” Kyle scoffed and shook his head. He took hold of her face, squeezing her cheeks tight as he forced her chin up. “I fucking own you.” He leaned in, kissing her forced-puckered lips before giving her face a light smack.
> 
> “No!” She snapped back, attempting to knee him in the groin, but only getting his thigh as she tried to make a run for the front door.
> 
> The blow to the thigh hurt, but not as much as if she’d gotten him a few inches to the left, not enough to keep him from shooting out his arm and grabbing the strap of her bag. She let him pull her purse from her arm and throw it to the floor. She looked back at the purse as it thudded on the floor and the moment of hesitation was all he needed to grab a hold of her around the middle as she let out a shrill scream.
> 
> He pulled her backwards, tossing her body as he’d tossed her purse, sending her tumbling to her knees. “You really are stupid, so let me simplify it for you.” He reached down and pulled her to her feet as if she weighed nothing. “Look around you, I am a king and you are nothing but a white-trash hole. You don’t refuse me, you thank god you ever got my attention.” He didn’t hold onto her, or force her in place as he spoke. “I thought I made myself clear already. I. Own. You. I will have you anytime I want you, and you will spread your legs and do as you’re told. And if you don’t, people get hurt. I’ll break you and I’ll break your little friend… and it will be your fault.”
> 
> “Don’t touch her.” Maya spoke with a hate-filled voice, glaring up at him. “You’ll have to kill me to get to her.”
> 
> “If that’s how you want it.” He told her, and quickly took hold of her throat. Her eyes went wide and she clawed at his hands to make him let go as he pressed against her neck. “Something wrong?” He asked with a teasing grin on his lips. “Are you re-thinking your choice?” He chuckled at her panicked face as it reddened.
> 
> Maya fell to the floor gasping as he let go, heaving and choking on air as she shook with fear. She looked up at him, shocked and scared – but also furious with herself. Of course he’d try to kill her, why would she ever think he wouldn’t? She was sure she was going to die there. 
> 
> Fighting him was pointless, so when he lifted her up and carried her down the hall, she didn’t struggle. When he dropped her like a sack of flour on a bed, she didn’t try to run. What was the point? She could never stop him, she’d come armed and he still gotten her here.
> 
> Maya laid limp as he pulled off her jeans and tossed them to the floor. He removed his shorts and climbed on top of her and Maya just turned her head to the side so not to look at him. She hated her betraying tears as they began to slide down her cheeks – but her fight was gone. Kyle did what he considered courteous: put on a condom and lubed up before he forced himself inside her. 
> 
> Maya’s eyes closed tight, wincing in pain as he moved roughly against her small body. Her tears continued to fall while he man-handled her chest and pounded against her. Kyle kissed her neck as if it was some kind of romantic moment, but it only made her cringe. She felt like she was covered in filth – like every inch of him that touched her only contaminated her further.
> 
> The groan he let out when he finished made Maya want to vomit. She didn’t open her eyes until something heavy hit her chest. She blinked a few times and saw her jeans laying on her. She looked up to see his bare ass as he walked into the bathroom. 
> 
> He called her an Uber and pushed a fifty into her hand as he ushered her out the door. “See you at school.” He replied with a grin – clearly feeling good about himself. Maya on the other hand just looked down at the cash in her hand and felt like she was frozen in ice. She didn’t remember walking down the hall, didn’t remember getting into the elevator or into the car. Before she knew it she was home – sitting in the tub as the scalding water poured down on her. 
> 
> What had she done?


End file.
